The Translation
by adromir
Summary: How do you talk down a girl who is determined to jump off a roof when you can't even speak her language? It's up to the SRU to figure it out, and a real tough job for a particular member of Team One. Angst for Sam.


**Hello, everyone. Yep, sorry. It's still not the continuance of 'The Truth'. I'm still working on it. For now, I present you this fic. **

**Actually I've been putting this story on a back burner for quite a long while. I had been thinking and thinking, should I or should I not post this one on the board? Because the issue I brought up in here is quite controversial. Something to do with religion and such. After some thinking, I finally decided. What the heck, right? I've done it anyway. **

**Hopefully you all read this fic with an open mind. I know some of you won't agree with me, and some of you might even be offended perhaps. But rest assured, that is never my intention at all. I just want to share with you the things that are actually happening in the world right now. So, peace, no war.**

**Summary: How do you talk down a girl who is determined to jump off a roof when you can't even speak her language? It's up to the SRU to figure it out, a real tough job for a particular member of Team One. Angst for Sam. **

* * *

On any other normal mornings, the apartment complex was blissfully quiet with nothing much going on. The adults would be at work, the kids would be at school, and the housewives would be busy doing laundry. In short, it was the time of the day that people would call routinely mundane.

Just not today. Because it was Sunday. Most of the residents were at home, enjoying the weekend. Instead of sleeping late however, many were standing outside on the complex front yard. They were all looking up to stare at the same spectacle.

A young woman was sitting on a ledge atop the roof of the fifteen storey building, a baby swaddled in blankets clutched tight within the cradle of her arms.

Team One's arrival amid flashing cherries and blaring siren was blatantly ignored by the crowd. Their attention was more focused on the would-be suicide jumper.

"Get out of the way!" Spike yelled, repeatedly hitting the horn. "You guys deaf? Let us through!"

The crowd parted, albeit reluctantly, to give way to the SRU contingent. A few of them even threw dirty looks at the officers riding inside the three SUVs.

Sitting next to Spike, Sam shook his head in disgust. "It's like a carnival."

"That's why we're here," said Ed. He was driving the second truck behind them. "To remind the people that this is _not_ a carnival. It's a life and death situation."

"Um…Ed," Leah said, smiling. "I think the life and death situation is what attracted them in the first place."

Ed glanced at her before rolling his eyes. "No shit."

"Maybe we can arrest them all, clear us some space to work," Wes Turner voiced out from the last truck. Initially with Team Five, he was recently seconded into Team One to cover for Jules who was still on maternity leave. She had just delivered her baby a month ago.

"Arrest them? On what charges?"

"Indecent exposure for one," Wes replied, chuckling. "Just look at their outfit!"

He was right. Team One was slightly amused to notice the state of dress—or undress—of the crowd. A huge number of them were still in their sleeping attires, as if a pajama party were in full swing. Even some of the ladies were standing in their sexy negligees, while a number of the men wore boxers and nothing else.

Ed snorted. "This people must be crazy. It's in the middle of March. They could freeze to death!"

The SRUs parked their vehicles not far from a small group of police cruisers. The unis were already taking action at crowd control, pushing them back and cordoning the area with long strips of yellow police tape.

Exiting the truck, Ed then made a beeline for the senior officer in charge at the scene. "Talk to me, Inspector. What exactly is the problem here?"

With a grimace, Inspector Stainton turned to Sergeant Ed Lane's approach. The bearded man pointed upwards. "See for yourself, Lane."

Ed looked up. "Yeah, I can _see_ the problem. But any helpful details? What's the girl's name, what's she wants, where she lives? Anything at all?"

Stainton sighed. "All we know is that she has been sitting on that ledge for quite some time, since daybreak. Two of my officers who took the 911 call already went up there to talk to her. That's where the _real_ problem is."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked. He and the rest of Team One had come to join the discussion.

"Language barrier. She can't understand us, and we can't understand her."

"She does not speak English?" Ed asked, wanting confirmation. "What does she speak then?"

"Arabic." The Inspector shrugged helplessly at them. "My officers' knowledge of Arabic is totally nonexistent. So far, she doesn't seem to comprehend what they've been saying to her. And vice versa."

"Have you called the interpreter?"

"Sure, Ed. That's the first thing we did soon after we realized the language issue. Unfortunately, our interpreter is having troubles getting here. He just called. His car won't start. He will be delayed, as he needs to grab a taxi."

"When will he arrive?"

"Probably within half an hour."

Ed frowned with displeasure. "That's not fast enough. The girl has been out there for far too long as it is. I'm worried about the baby. The exposure might—"

"I speak a bit of Arabic."

At Sam's quiet announcement, they all turned to stare at him.

"You _do_?" Ed wondered out loud, before slapping himself on the forehead. "Right, of course you do. You served two tours in Afghanistan. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Actually, people speak Farsi in Afghanistan, not Arabic. There's a vast dissimilarity. Don't get confuse with those two. I learnt Arabic as a kid when my Dad was stationed in Kuwait."

"Well, that's great news." Ed looked relieved. "I'll feel a lot easier with you conversing directly with the subject."

"Besides, the interpreter is not a trained negotiator," Leah agreed, "But Sam is."

"Okay. Guess I should go up there and talk to the girl," Sam decided. "But let's get something straight first. Inspector, are you sure she's speaking Arabic? What dialect is she using?"

Stainton gave Sam a droll stare. "Farsi, Arabic, Yiddish, I can't even tell the difference. And you expect _me_ to recognize the dialect?"

"My bad. Forget I ask." Sam raised his hands in mock apology, grinning. Shouldering his backpack, he then hurried towards the complex entrance.

"Sam, I'll cover you," said Leah, already rushing after her teammate.

"Good call, Leah," Ed approved. "Spike?"

"Wes and I will secure the ground," replied the team's computer wizard. "Sam, just feed me on the fly any info you gather from the girl. I'll see if I could help from down here."

"Will do."

Turning back to Inspector Stainton, Ed told him, "You'd better call for EMS."

"Already done."

As if to validate the Inspector's words, they heard the sound of the approaching siren of an ambulance. Satisfied that everything was under control on the ground, Ed went to the truck and grabbed his Remy. There were no reports of firearm sightings, but he was not taking any chances.

Striding into the building with his rifle, Ed informed his team through his com link, "Sam, I'll be taking Sierra position close by, just in case. Spike, find out if there's any way we can reach this girl from below. And Wes, you coordinate with the unis and talk to the crowd. Someone might know who this young woman is."

"Copy."

Like thousands of times before, Team One moved swiftly and smoothly as each of them took position. Within minutes, after a swift ride in the elevator and climbing over a flight of service staircase, Sam and Leah found themselves at the rooftop. Stepping outside through the narrow door, they nodded at the pair of uniformed cops stationed there.

"How is she?" Sam asked them. "You guys got anything from her?"

"No, sir," the taller of the two responded. He looked young, maybe just fresh out of the academy. His face looked slightly pale under his dark cap. "She just sits there and cries. Sometimes she speaks, but we understand not a word she said."

"We are afraid for the baby. When we came near to see how it's doing, the girl screamed. So we keep our distance," explained the other cop, clearly unhappy. "There's nothing we can do to help without freaking her out."

"That's alright. You did good," Sam assured them, shrugging off his backpack to take out the safety rope and harness. "What's her current state of mind, basically?"

"She looks and sounds real distraught, close to hysterics. She is very upset about something," said the young cop.

His partner added, "She obviously cares for the baby though, because she keeps hugging and kissing it."

Leah frowned. "The baby is still alive?"

"Sorry. We couldn't get close enough to make sure. The baby doesn't make any sound at all. Maybe it's asleep."

_Or maybe it's already dead_, was what they actually thought but didn't dare voice it out.

With practice ease, Sam stepped into the harness before attaching the safety rope to it. He told Leah, "I'll make solo approach. Hold fort here until I tell you otherwise."

Leah nodded. "You got it."

"Ed? I'm moving in now."

"Copy that, Sam."

Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Sam stood still for several heartbeats as he assessed his immediate surroundings. It was slightly windy on the rooftop, the air crisp and chill. It didn't seem to bother the subject at all, who continued to sit on the ledge with her feet dangling in free space, her back against the cold metal railings. It probably had been a bit tricky for her to duck under the waist-high railings while holding a baby in both arms, but somehow she managed to do it.

Calmly, Sam stepped forward.

"_Salaam alaikum_," he softly said, using an Arabic greeting that means 'Peace be upon you'.

The young woman stiffened and turned slightly to glance at the approaching SRU officer, her eyes filled with sadness and fear, before she quickly dragged her gaze away. A gust of morning breeze tugged hard at the dark scarf covering her head, so she grabbed a fistful of the woolen cloth at her throat to secure it down.

Sam managed to catch a glimpse of her features. It was oval shape with high cheekbones, accentuated by the biggest pair of brown eyes he had ever seen. For such a young woman, she was very beautiful. Sam deduced that her age was between fourteen and seventeen, no more than that. By God, she was still a child.

Sam stopped within five feet from her. Continuing in Arabic, he said, "My name is Sam Braddock. What's yours?"

There was no response from the girl. She just tearfully stared straight ahead, causing Sam to frown. He switched to other dialect as he spoke next, "I really hope that you understand me. Can you please tell me your name?"

At this, the girl turned back to him, her eyes widening. Sam gave her a soothing smile. "My name is Sam. What do I call you?"

She was hesitant at first, but then she opened her mouth and started to speak, "As…Asman."

"Asman." Sam's smile grew wider, knowing that it means 'sky'. "Nice to meet you. And who is that you're holding?"

Sniffling, she looked down at the baby. "His name is Fahran."

Sam never took his reassuring gaze off the subject as he quietly spoke into his com link, "Boss?"

"Go ahead, Sam," said Ed.

"She speaks Dari."

A slight pause from the team leader before he asked, "Which means what, exactly?"

"Dari is a Persian dialect, the standard language in Afghanistan. Her name is Asman. Age approximately fifteen or sixteen."

"Whoa," Spike said out loud in surprise. "What does a young Afghan girl doing up there by herself? Where's her family?"

"How's the baby, Sam?" Leah asked. She couldn't get a clear visual from her position at the door leading to the stairways.

"It's a baby boy named Fahran. From what I can see, he's still breathing but his face is too pale. Could be from the cold," Sam replied, locking the karabiner of his safety rope to the metal railing. "I'm gonna find out more. Be ready for further updates."

"Copy that, Sam. Go carefully," said Ed. He had taken a Sierra perch on the south side of the rooftop about twenty meters away. His vantage point gave him only the right side view of Sam and the girl. So far, he picked up no other threats.

"Asman, do you mind if I sit with you? I'd like it if we could talk," Sam said to the girl, his voice gentle and kind. His teammates were impressed with his good command of the foreign language. Though they could hardly understand a word, Sam's tone of diction sounded lyrical to their ears.

At Asman's slow nod of consent, Sam climbed over the railings and carefully lowered himself by her side. Even with two feet separating them, she visibly cringed as if he was about to strike her. Sam resisted the urge to touch the baby and check his condition. He had to be subtle in all his actions or the girl might bolt and leap off the ledge. She looked that distraught.

"How are you, Asman?" Sam asked her in Dari, "Are you well?"

Tightening her embrace around the baby, she shook her head.

"Can you tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help."

She started to sob anew. "No one can help me."

"Why is that? Please tell me. I'd like to know."

Her sobbing increased. "I'm alone! I have no one else anymore…"

"But you still have Fahran," Sam gently pointed out, indicating the baby. "Who is he, Asman? Your little brother?"

The girl wiped the tears off his face without answering. Sam found that highly disturbing. So he chose another angle. "You're originally from Afghanistan?"

She nodded.

"Which part?"

"Ghazni."

"I was there several years ago. I was in the army, mainly based in Kandahar."

Asman shot him a wary look. "You were there? That's how you know how to speak Farsi?"

"I took a brief language course before my deployment. So how's my Dari?"

"Terrible."

Sam laughed out loud, causing involuntary smiles to tug at the girl's lips.

"What's going on, Sam? What did she say?" Ed's voice came through the com link, reminding Sam that his team had no idea what the discussion was about.

"She just told me I don't speak good Dari," Sam explained, still grinning at the girl. "She came from Ghazni, Afghanistan. She said earlier that she has no one else. I'll find out what she meant by that."

Focusing his attention back to Asman, Sam asked her, "Where's your family? Your parents?"

Her face instantly clouded over. "They're gone."

"Gone? What happened?"

Asman faced forward and snapped, "I don't want to talk about it."

Sam nodded, gently backing away. "Fine. As you wish. So who do you live with around here?"

"My aunt."

"Where is she?"

"At home. She's dead."

Sam was slightly taken aback. He kept his voice level as he continued, "So…your aunt is dead. At home. Where is home exactly?"

"Down below."

Sam blinked. "You live with her in _this _building?"

At this, Asman started crying again. Her shoulders shook with her sobbing. Sam ceased questioning her to give her some space.

"Spike, check the list of residents of the apartment block," Sam urgently spoke into this com link. "Try to find if any Middle-eastern family resides here. The girl just told me that she has been living here with her aunt, but her aunt is dead inside their home."

"You read my mind, Sam," said Spike. "I'm checking the list right now. Won't take a moment. We'll go investigate soon after I get the address."

"What happened to the aunt?" Ed wanted to know.

"The girl is too upset to explain right now. Hold on. I'm pulling her to yellow."

Sam waited until Asman's sobs dwindled a bit before asking, "What are you really doing up here, Asman?"

She stayed quiet, but he didn't give up. "Are you planning to jump?"

Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.

"Why?"

"I…I just want to die. I have no reason to live…"

For several moments, Sam looked at her closely. "You're a Muslim."

Biting her lips, she nodded. She had troubles looking at Sam straight in the eye.

"Isn't suicide strictly forbidden in Islam? And that if you took your own life, you would not be allowed paradise?" At her telling look, Sam added, "I have friends who are Muslims. They told me that those terrorists who blew themselves up inside the London tube or smashed the planes into the WTC were not real Muslims. They only used religion as an excuse to justify their twisted agendas. Real Muslims highly value their own life and will not take others' life."

"And yet, the whole world blames all Muslims for what happened," Asman spat back in anger. "From the first day I arrived in this country, I've been treated like a leper! Just because I have my head covered, they think I'm gonna blow myself up near a school bus or something. People sneer at me. They eye me with distrust. I've never done anything to them but they look as if they wanted to place me in a prison. So you can understand why you found me sitting here right now!"

Sam nodded. He fully understood. "I hear you, Asman. I hear you."

"Do you?" she shouted. She yanked her scarf aside to show him the colorful welts on her left temple and cheek. "A group of boys threw rocks at me yesterday while I was taking a walk in the park with Fahran. Luckily he didn't get hurt because I shielded him. When I asked the boys why they tried to hurt me, they said that their parents thought that I would come into the school one day and shoot everyone dead. How could they say that? It's not fair!"

Sam swallowed hard as he learnt the extent of Asman's sufferings. Naturally, it was the innocents who found themselves at the ugly end of a prejudicial thinking.

"Eddie?"

"Yes, Sam?"

"Asman was attacked by a group of boys yesterday in the park. They threw rocks at her," Sam said, watching the girl as she wept. "She also said that she has been treated unfairly by the people around her."

"No wonder she's pushed this far." Ed sighed. "Can you make her move away from that ledge, Sam? She has been there too long."

"I know. I'll try to secure the baby first."

Slowly, so as not to startle the girl, Sam scooted closer until they sat within a foot of each other. "Asman, you're right. It's not fair. This people, they look at you wrongly because of what they do not know. If they _do_ know, they would understand what you're going through."

She shook her head. "No, they won't. No one would."

"But _I_ do. I'm here, aren't I?"

Tearfully, she looked up at him.

"And I'm not the only one," he continued. "Just because some people have treated you so badly, doesn't mean that everyone else is going to treat you the same way."

"But I'm alone now. I have nowhere else to go. I can't go to school, I can't go for walk, and I even can't stay here anymore. I have no one to turn to for help."

"Me and my team, we _will_ help you in any way we can. Trust me on that. Suicide is not the way. You're still too young, Asman. You have much to live for." Sam nudged his chin at the baby cradled in her arms. "At least, think of Fahran. You need to do what's best for him."

With a sad smile, she leaned down to kiss the baby's forehead. "I want to spare him the cruelties. I don't want anyone to hurt him. He doesn't deserve to be treated so unfairly."

"He also deserves to live." Sam took a deep breath before he added, "I can see that you love him very much. Who is he to you, exactly?"

She looked up and told him, causing Sam to gasp in shock even though he had already guessed the answer.

"Guys, she just confirmed who the baby is," Sam quietly announced. "She said _pesar_."

"What does that mean?" Leah asked on behalf of the rest of the team.

"Son," Sam translated. "Fahran is her son."

* * *

Team One listened as Sam continued to converse with the Afghan girl. Meanwhile, Spike had managed to retrieve the girl's current address. A neighbor had also confirmed it, saying that a Middle-eastern couple had been living there for over three years.

"The man, his name is Yousef. He owns a convenient store downtown," the neighbor had explained to Wes. "The girl on the roof starts living with them about a month ago. I rarely see her around. She doesn't go out much."

With the information and home address in hand, Spike and Wes went up to the apartment number 1015 at the tenth floor. The door was unlocked. Shortly after stepping inside, they made a disturbing discovery.

"Ed, we found the aunt," said Spike, looking down at the middle-aged woman lying still on the sofa in the living room.

"And?"

"She's dead. Not too long ago, I would say."

"What's the trauma?"

"She didn't seem to have been harmed or anything. There's no sign of struggles. I believe her heart just gave out."

"She had a heart attack?"

"Looks like it, yeah. We'll get the EMT in here to make sure."

"Sam, did you catch that?" Ed asked.

"Yes, I heard it," Sam responded. "Asman had also explained to me the reason why she left her country to come and live with her aunt. I'll tell you all about it later because she just agreed not to jump. I'm going to assist her get back to safety."

"Well done, Sam. Leah?"

"I'll secure the baby." The female SRU officer was already on the move. At Sam's signal, she calmly stepped forward and now stood waiting near the railings.

Sam returned his full attention on the Afghan girl. "Asman, you're ready?"

She smiled back, albeit shakily. "I'm ready."

"Don't worry. We are here to help you. Just do everything I say and it will be alright, understand?"

"I understand."

"Good. Let's do this. First, pass me Fahran."

Asman hesitated, only briefly, before she transferred her baby into the arms of the SRU officer. The moment he touched the child, Sam grew concerned. Fahran was still breathing but he was cold all over. It must be due to his exposure to the element.

Keeping his face clear of any misgivings, Sam handed the baby over to Leah with great care. "Get him to a paramedic. Fast!"

To Sam's absolute dismay however, Asman chose that instant to scramble to her feet, so eager that she was to rejoin her child.

"No. Wait, Asman. Don't move!" Sam cautioned her.

And then the inevitable happened. Somehow the girl tripped on the hem of her long dress and lost her footing. Failing to grab the railings in time, she tumbled over with a shrill cry of fear.

"_NO_!" Disregarding his own safety, Sam leapt off the ledge after her. He managed to seize the girl's wrist at the same moment his secure line jerked him to a sudden stop, slamming him against the wall in the process. It gave him a sense of déjà vu, reminding him of that time when Jules had rescued another teenage girl from jumping to her death in the exact same manner.

Slightly swinging in his harness, hanging upside down, Sam blinked repeatedly to clear the black spots marring his vision. The impact was enough to stun his senses for a few seconds, yet he still managed to hold tight to the girl. Amid the collective cries of alarm from the crowd below, he could hear Ed screaming inside his ear through the team's radio.

"Sam? I'm coming to you, buddy. Do you copy? Sam!"

"I hear you, Boss," Sam grunted in reply. "I got her."

"I'm almost there. Just hold on."

Easier said than done. Firstly, the girl was clearly panicking. Her free arm swung crazily about as she tried to grasp purchase, her face white with indescribable fear. Secondly, her grip began to slip from all that struggling.

"Asman. Asman, listen to me!" Sam cried out to her in Dari. "Keep still _please_. They're going to pull us up but you must cease moving. I know you're scared. But you have to stay calm or—"

There was the sickening sound of a metal cracking. Sam took a glance and his face drained of all color. The bar of the railing, where his safety rope was connected to, started to bend out of shape. Soon it was going to yield and break. Looks like the metal bar couldn't bear their combined bodyweight.

"Shit," Sam cursed. "_Eddie!_"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Discarding his rifle, Ed barked at the two cops who were reaching for the rope, "Guys, hold my legs. Lower me down. I'll grab the rope. Let's do it now!"

Turning back to the girl, Sam soothed her. "Hang on, Asman. You just hang on."

"I'm scared," she sobbed. "I don't want to die. Please…"

"I know, sweetheart. I know. Just—"

_Crack!_

The railing gave way completely, causing Sam to drop several feet. Luckily, Ed managed to grab hold of the rope before his teammate could fall to his death.

"Pull me up!" Ed yelled, gripping tight to the lifeline in both fists. The two cops instantly obeyed as they dragged Ed back by his ankles.

And yet Asman continued to slip further.

"No…." Sam grimaced as her small hand slowly slid against his glove. "Asman…don't let go…"

"I can't…I can't hold any much longer," she wept. "I'm slipping…"

"Asman…"

Suddenly, her features relaxed into an expression of utter serenity. Gazing up at Sam, she gave him a small smile. "It's alright. I'm not afraid anymore."

"Wait, hang on, god damn it!" Sam cried out, clutching desperately at her by the fingertips.

"Keep my baby safe." With those final words, Asman plummeted to the ground.

The crowd below screamed in horror. Sam was also screaming, but he didn't even realize it. Ed and the two cops hastily dragged him up and over the ledge.

Frozen with shock, Sam could barely move. He sat slump with his back against the railings, his head buried in his hands.

Ed told the visibly shaken uniformed cops to get down below and assist the others at the scene. When they left, Ed gave his teammate's shoulder a squeeze as he lowered himself to sit down next to him. "Sam?"

Sam wearily raised his head, and turned to peer over the edge. Ed firmly pulled him back. "No, don't look at her. Look at me. Come on, buddy. Look at me."

When their gazes met, Ed was astounded to see the sheer anguish in the younger man's clear blue eyes. For a moment there, he had no idea what to say to appease his friend.

"I lost her," Sam bleakly stated. "I had her in my grip and I lost her."

"You did all you could, Sam. You've tried. But things were not meant to be. Let it go."

Shaking his head, Sam stared at his feet. "She wanted to live. Even after all that she had gone through, she chose life. She chose to have a future. But she wasn't even given the chance."

"Her son survives, though," Ed gently pointed out. He then spoke through his com link, "How is Fahran doing, Leah?"

"He has low body temperature, but the medic said he's gonna make it," Leah announced. Soon as she had gathered the baby into her arms, she had immediately gone to take the elevator down and rushed him to a waiting paramedic. She had been standing near the ambulance ever since. "They are taking him to St. Simon for observation."

"You hear that, Samo?" said Ed, "Fahran is gonna be fine. All is not lost. You save a life. That _is_ the girl's future. Her son."

Leaning his head back, Sam closed his eyes. "Before she decided not to jump, Asman told me a story."

"You mean, the reason why she came to this country?"

Sam nodded. "She was from the Ghazni province. I've been there several times during my tour. It has beautiful landscape, its land thick with history. Asman's father worked with the local government as supervisor. She had an older brother, but he was killed by an IED a few years back. One evening, she walked home with her parents after attending a wedding feast in the neighboring village. Four men blocked their path. They were drunk and very nasty. They grabbed Asman and dragged her into an alley while her parents bravely fought the men off. Her mother was knocked unconscious, while her father was beaten to death. Then they raped her, one after the other. "

As he opened his eyes, Sam turned to Ed. "Fahran is the product of that night atrocity. Her faith didn't allow her to have an abortion. Even so, she wanted to keep the baby. But living with an ailing mother and being a single mom to a baby at such a young age in the middle of a conventional male dominated community had been too much for her to take. And so her mother contacted her sister here, the aunt, and they agreed to take the mother and daughter in, along with the baby. However, Asman's mother succumbed to her illness just days before she was able to make the journey."

"How awful for the girl." Ed was shaking his head. "So then she came alone?"

"Her uncle flew over to Ghazni to get her. Asman thought she had left all her misery behind when she left Afghanistan. But coming here only makes matters worse." Sam's voice broke. "This country, the people, it reminded her of the men who raped her."

Ed was startled. "What do you mean?"

"Those men…they were white, and speaking English...like us."

"Oh my god…" Ed was dismayed. "Those men were from the allied soldiers?"

"She couldn't tell. They were not in uniform. Could be private contractors. Whoever those men were, not one of them has been caught and brought to justice."

"Ah, damn," Ed softly cursed, blinking back tears. "That is just sick."

Misty eyed, Sam looked up at the blue heavens above them. "You know what her name, Asman, means?"

"No. What?"

"Sky. And I think that's where she is right now."

"Hopefully she's finally at peace."

"_Insha'allah_." Sam swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "God wills it."

* * *

After further investigation, it was later discovered that Yousef, the aunt's husband, had been shot dead the night before during an armed robbery at his convenience store. No doubt that the aunt had died due to a broken heart, leaving her orphaned niece completely alone in the strange cruel world.

Ed steered the truck to the curb in front of the Braddock's family home. He yanked at the handbrake and turned to stare at his teammate who sat silently gazing at the house, which was Jules' originally. Sam had moved out of his apartment a month before their wedding.

"You're gonna be alright, Sammy?" Ed asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, Boss." Sam managed to produce a reassuring smile. "I promise."

"Good to know." Ed smiled back.

"Thanks for the ride." Stepping out of the truck, Sam walked unhurriedly towards the house. As if on cue, his lovely wife opened the front door and waited for him there.

"Hey, sweetheart," Jules said, wrapping her slender arms around him.

"Hey, darling. I miss you."

She squeezed him harder. "Miss you too."

They broke the embrace a long while later. Sam smiled briefly, saying, "I'm gonna get inside, take a shower."

He was still in uniform. Ed had driven him home straight from the scene.

"Go," Jules said, nudging him in. As Sam disappeared up the stairs, Jules strode down the driveway. Ed got out of the truck and leaned against the front fender, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Leah called and told me," she explained. "So, how bad was it?"

Ed understood what she was really asking. "Sam needs you and Sadie right now. He'll want both his girls close. He won't say it but…he's pretty shaken up."

"That bad, huh?" She bit her lower lip, looking a tad worried. Anxious.

"But he's gonna pull through, Jules. He always does. Just be there for him."

She smiled in response. "Nowhere in the world I'd rather be."

After Ed had driven off to resume his shift, Jules went back inside the house. She climbed up the stairs, heading for the master bedroom. But Sam wasn't there. Frowning, she returned into the hallway where she caught the sound of her husband's voice. It came from the nursery.

Curious, she peered inside. Sam was sitting on the floor next to the crib. He had one arm poked through the railings, stroking their sleeping daughter's head with such tenderness it brought tears to her eyes.

"My darling Sadie," Sam said, his voice so soft that Jules had to strain her ears to hear it. "As long as I have life in my body, no harm will come to you. I will not let you be hurt or mistreated or defiled. I swear to this, my daughter. I wasn't able to protect her, but I can protect you. And I will die trying if I have to."

On silent feet, Jules walked over to sit next to him. Wordlessly, Sam turned to bury his tear-streaked face against her shoulder. She held him close for a long time as he sobbed.

When his weeping subsided, Sam took both her hands and kissed them. "_Ma tora khosh darom_."

Jules tilted her head in wonder. "What does that mean?"

"I love you," he translated with a blossoming grin.

She smiled brilliantly back. "Right back at you, my love."

**THE END**

* * *

**So. Anyone out there who plan to hire an assassin to kill me? Yeah. Get in line. ;)**

**Okay. That's it for now. The next chapter to 'The Truth' will be coming soon. But it might take me another week because ever since I started this new job, my time to write fics is strictly limited. I wish I could write in my sleep!**

**Anyway, see you all later. **_**Salam alaikum**_**. **

**^_^ Adromir has left the building…to attend an awfully boring meeting. Zzzzz….**


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